Detector for malfunctioning wheels



Nov. 19, 1963 e. WERNER DETECTOR FOR MALFUNCTIONING WHEELS Filed Aug. 31, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HIS ATTORNEY Nov. 19, 1963 WERNER DETECTOR FOR MALFUNCTIONING WHEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 31, 1959 "liiliilililll INVENTOR. DAVID G. WERNER BY EMJ HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,111,294 DETECTOR FGR MALFUNCTEGNTNG WHEELS David G. Werner, Library, Pin, amignor to Zonsolidation (Ioal Company, Pittsburgh, 192., a corporation of Penna sylvanla Filed Aug. 31, M59, Ser. No. 836,932 2 (Zlairns. (1. Bib-J45) The present invention relates to a device for detecting malfunctioning wheels on railway cars and the like. When the wheels of a railway car are functioning normally, there is a relatively small amount of rolling friction between the wheels and the rail upon which the car is supported. When, however, a railway car wheel malfunctions, the amount of rolling friction between the Wheel and the rail is increased. The present invention makes use of the fact that this rolling friction is increased on malfunctioning wheels.

When the wheels of the railway car are in prooer alignment, its bearings are lubricated, and the wheel is round and true in all respects, the wheel functions normally. It often happens that during service the wheels of a railway car may be knocked out of alignment, or a bearing may be damaged so that it can no longer hold lubricant. In the event of one of these occurrences or other similar damage to a wheel, the wheel becomes tight, that is, it does not rotate freely and allow the car to move down the track in a normal manner. if such a tight wheel can be detected early, it may be repaired before any permanent damage is done to the wheel or the railway car. Further, if such a malfunctioning wheel is not detected, the condition may progressively worsen until the wheel actually locks which may result in derailment of the railway car, thus resulting in injury to operating personnel and major damage to equipment. To prevent damage and possible injury to operating personnel, some means is required for detecting malfunctioning wheels on railway cars early in their occurrence.

It has also been determined that if the axles of a railway car truck become skewed with respect to the rails of the railroad track, the railway car tends to hug one rail of the track. To function properly the axles of a railway car truck should be perpendicular to the rails of the railroad track. It often happens that due either to original manufacturing errors, or to abnormally hard usage, the axles become skewed from this perpendicular condition. When this skewed axle condition occurs, the wheel on the lagging end of the axle is forced laterally against its supporting rail thus causing the railway car to hug that rail. The wheel so forced contacts the rail not only upon its rolling surface, but the flange of the wheel is forced into rolling contact along the side of the rail as well.

This flange contact results in excessive flange wear requiring early replacement of the wheel. In a skewed axle condition, the rolling fraction between the wheel on the lagging end of the axle and the rail is extremely high. Thus, the present invention is also useful for detecting wheels that malfunction due to a skewed axle.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, it is a major object of the present invention to provide a simple, rugged device for detecting malfunctioning wheels on railway cars.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for detecting mflfunctioning wheels which does not interfere with the normal operation of the railway car.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and from an examination of the accompanying drawings which illustrate two embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partially broken away, of a device for detectin malfunctioning wheels.

FTGURE 2 is an end elevation partially in section of the device of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an overall end elevation showing how two of the devices of FIGURES 1 and 2 may be mounted in a railroad track for detecting malfunctioning wheels on each side of a car.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation, partially broken away, similar to FIGURE 1 showing a second embodiment of the device for detecting malfunctioning wheels.

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation partially broken away, similar to FIGURE 2, of the device of FIGURE 4.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals are utilized for similar parts in both embodiments, the present invention will be described in some detail.

As seen in FIGURE 1, one rail ll) of a railroad track is shown in elevation. An end truck 12 of a railway car is shown upon the rail 19 being supported by its wheels 14. The rail 13 of the railroad track is broken and has a gap or opening therein. A detector rail section 16 is positioned in the gap in rail Ill and has a longitudinal dimension slightly less than the dimension of the opening or gap in the rail 16. Thus, the space formed by the discontinuity allows the detector rail section 16 to be placed in alignment with rail 16 withi that space. The detector section 16 is rigidly secured to a floor 2% of a dolly shown at 358. The dolly consists of a floor 26 supported by two longitudinal ribs. Secured to ribs 22 at either end of the dolly are axle supports 24 (FIG. 2). Axles 26 which support axle bearings 23 are press fitted into axle supp rts The wheels 39 of the dolly are jo-urnaled for rotation about axles as on bearings 2:3.

The dolly i3 is supported on an auxiliary track 31 which is disposed below the main railroad track. This auxiliary track 33 is firmly secured to the bed of the main railroad track and runs in a direction parallel to rail The auxiliary track 31 is made up of auxiliary rails which are secured to rail supports 34. Rail supports are, in turn, secured to the auxiliary track base 36. As described thus far, the dolly 18 which fixedly supports the detector ra l section 1% is free to move upon the auxiliary track in a direction parallel to rail 10. Since the space created by the discontinuity of rail 19 is only slightly longer than the detector rail section 15, the dolly is limited in its movement in a direction longitudinally of rail 15 to an amount equal to the difference in length of the space and the rail section 16.

Attached to the auxiliary tracl; base 36 is a microswitch bracket 33. This bracket 38 extends in a gennerally vertical position at he center of the auxiliary track 31 as seen in FEGURE 2. Attached to bracket 38 is a microswitch ll? (FIG. 1) having a switch arm 42. The microswitch has normally open electrical contacts disposed within its housing 4 3. The electrical contacts of switch 4%) are closed when switch arm 42 is moved toward the housing 4%. spending from one of the axle supports is a bracket 48 which threadingly receives the SVVlLCh actuating bolt The bolt 44 is in vertical alignment with switch arm 42 so that bolt 4 will contact arm 42 actuate microswitch 4% when the dolly is moved toward bracket The bolt 44, being thread-ingly ccured in bracket %8, may be adjusted in bracket 48 and is held in position, once adjusted, by lock nut 46.

Also attached to bracket 43 is an eye 54 which secures one end of cable 52 to bracket 48. Cable 52 passes over pulley 53 secured in fixed relation to the auxiliary track base 36. The other end of cable 52 upports a bias- 3 ing weight 5 which serves to bias the dolly 23 toward the right as viewed in FIGURE 1.

With the foregoing description of the components of the device in mind, the operation of he malfunctioning wheel detector should become readily apparent. The railway cars roll over the track containin rail in a direction from right to left as v- -wed in l and as indicated by the arrow on l. The biasing weight incintains the dolly if and the detector rail sc tion 16 toward the ri ht as viewed in EZGURE l. The detector rail section 16 is maintained biased in direction opposite to the directi n of travel of the cars over rail 3% So long as the wheels on the cars passing over rail it; function normally, the biasing force of "tr eight 54- is surlicient to maintain the dolly is biased to the right. The rolling friction between a no ally functioning wheel 14 and the rail section 16 is not sufiicient to cause dolly 18 tomove in the direction of railway ca travel.

When, however, the wheel 14 is a malfunctioning wheel due to a tight bearing, misalignment of wheel 14, a skewed axle condition, or any other cause which creates excessive rolling friction between wheel 14 and the detector rail section 16, the detector rail section 16 will tend to be carried to the left (PEG. 1) in the direction of movement of the railway car by such a malfunctioning wheel. Thus, the excessive rolling friction between the malfunctioning wheel and the detector rail section 16 will be sufficient to overcome the biasing force of weight 54 and cause the detector rail section 16 and the dolly 13 to move to the left as viewed in FIGURE 1. When the dolly 18 moves to the left the bolt 44 contacts switch arm 42 thus actuating microswitch 4i Switch 4%} may be the actuating switch of an electrical circuit (not shown) for any type of electrical indicator. The electrical intheater may take t-.e-fonm of a born or alight. Thus each time a car with a malfunctioning whee-l passes over the detector rail section 36, the indicating circuit will be actuated and an observer may note the number of the car passing over the detector rail section 1.6 at that time. That car may then be routed to the shop for inspection and maintainence.

While a microswitch 49 is shown as the movement sensing element of the present configuration, this switch 49 is not a critical part of the present invention. Any movement sensing element such as a mechanical indicator, or a pneumatic signal generator, might be used in place of switch 453. The exact type of indicating circuit utilized is not a part of the present invention. The present invention, in its broad aspects, is concerned with providing simple rugged means for creating a movement in response to the passage over the track of a malfunctioning wheel of a railway car. Further, while a weight 54 is shown to provide the biasing force for dolly 18, this weight 54 may be replaced by any of its mechanical equivalents such as a spring.

Whatever biasing force is utilized however, that fore should be adjustable within certain limits. For example, the biasing force should be such t. at the dolly 13 will be biased to the right and held in that position so long as normally functioning wheels are passing over the detector rail section 16. When, however, a malfunctioning wheel passes over detector rail section 16, the biasing force should be such that the increased rolling friction between Wheel 14 and detector rail section 16 will overcome the biasing force and cause movement of dolly 13 to the left. Thus, it may be necessary to adjust the biasing force several times until this force is just sufficient to discriminate between passage of a normally functioning wheel and a malfunctioning wheel over this detector rail section 16. It has been found that a Weight such as weight 54 is particularly suited to this purpose since additional increments of weight may be added or removed from weight 5-4 as required.

Referring now to FIGURES 4 and 5, second embodiment of a malfunctioning wheel detecting device is shown i there. This second embodiment is generally similar in operation to the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The essential diiference betwee the embodiments is the manner in hich the detector rail section 16 is supported for longitudinal movement with respect to discontinuous rail 15*. As shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, the detector rail section 16 is fixedly secured to a base plate 56. This base plate has pin supports 53 depending from it. These pin supports are four in number and depend, one each, from the corners of the base plate 56. The pin supports 53 are secured to plate 56 by bolts 57. Upstanding pin supports 6% (four in number) are disposed directly below pin supports 58 and are secured to a base member 62.

Base member 62 is fixed within the bed of the railway track containing rail 1% and is disposed in a plane below the plane the railway track. The pin supports 69 are secured to base plate 62. by bolts 61. The depending pin supports 58 and the upstanding pin supports 60 have roller bearings 72' secured within the central portions of the pin supports as best shown in FIGURE 5. These bearings it? journal pin means 63 within the pin supports 58. As seen in FIGURES 4 and 5 the pin means 68 are four in number and are disposed transversely of the detector rail section 16. The pin means 63 when iournaled within the bearings are horizontally disposed in spaced relation parallel to each other.

Arm members 66 are secured to pins 63 to operatively join the base plate 56 with the base member 62. As best seen in FIGURE 5 the arm member 66 is formed from two sleeves joined by a rib member 66a. The two arm members 66 and the pin members 68 form a parallelogram linkage to support the base plate 56 above the fixed base member 62 so that base plate 56 may move longitudinally relative to base member 62.

A bracket 61 is secured in fixed relation to the base member 6?. The bracket 64- serves the dual function of supporting both pulley 53 and microswi-t-ch 40. A cable 52 is secured at one end to the upper portion of one arm member 66 as shown in FIGURE 4. This cable 52 passes over pulley 53 and has weight 54 secured to its other end. The weight 54 provides a biasing force to bias the base plate 56 to the right as viewed in FIGURE 4. The microswitch it) is secured to bracket 64 in fixed relation to the base member 62. Microswitch actuating bolt &4 is threadingiy received by one of the arms 66 as shown in FlGURE 4. As in the case of the earlier described embodiment, the bolt 54 may be adjusted with respect to arm member 66 and secured in place, once adjusted, by lock nut d6.

The operation of the embodiment of FIGURES 4 and 5 is generally similar to that of FIGURES 1 and 2. The parallelogram linkage allows the detector rail section 16 to move longitudinally with respect to the discontinuous rail Ill). The biasing weight 54 biases the rail section toward the right as viewed in FIGURE 4. As the railway cars pass over the rail it from right to left as viewed in FIGURE 4 the cars with normally functioning wheels cause no movement of detector rail section 16. Any car having a malfunctioning wheel will cause detector rail section 16 to move to the left against the force of weight 5 When detector rail section 16 moves to the left under the increased rolling friction between a malfunctioning wheel 14 and rail section 16, the actuating bolt 44 actuates micrcswitch 4% to thereby close an indicating circuit.

The embodiments described in FIGURES 1 and 2 and FIGURES 4 and 5 show a malfunctioning Wheel detector for one rail of a railroad track. It will be appreciated that such a detector when disposed within only one rail of the railroad track is capable of detecting malfunctioning wheels on only one side of a railway car. In order to detect malfunctioning wheels on both sides of a railway car, two of these units must be placed Within the railroad track.

FEGURE 3 shows an overall end elevation of a railway car and railroad track in which two of the units of the configuration described in connection with FlGURES l and 2 are disposed in a railroad track. In such a disposition of the units, each of the rails of the railroad track is made discontinuous and a unit with a short detector rail section 16 is placed so that the rail section 16 is in alignment with the rails 10 at the point of discontinuity. When the units are placed in both rails of a railroad track, separate indicating circuits may be utilized so that the particular car with a malfunctioning wheel may be noted and so that the side upon which the malfunctioning wheel is located may also be noted for quicker and easier maintenance.

According to the provisions of the patent statute, I have explained the principle, preferred construction and mode of operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiments. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. A device for detecting an increase in friction between the Wheels of a railway car and the rail which comprises in combination, rails along which said railway car travels in a predetermined direction, said rails having at least on rail with an opening therein, a detector rail section positioned in said opening and spaced longitudinally from the remainder of the rail, said detector section having a cross sectional shape identical to said rails and being mounted on a four wheel dolly, an auxiliary track mounted parallel to said rails in a horizontal plane below said rails, said dolly being movable along said auxiliary track, said auxiliary track and said dolly so positioned that said detector section remains in longitudinal alignment with the remainder of said rail in all positions of said dolly, said dolly arranged on said auxiliary track to permit longitudinal movement of said detector section relative to the remainder of said rail, biasing means at all times urging said dolly in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of said railway cars, electrical switch means mounted in fixed relation relative to said auxiliary track, switch actuating means mounted on said dolly, said switch actuating means positioned to actuate said switch means upon longitudinal movement of said detector section in the direction of travel of said railway cars thereby indicating an increase in friction between said railway car Wheels and said rail.

2. A device for detecting an increase in friction between the wheels of a railway car and the rail which comprises in combination, rails along which said railway car travels in a predetermined direction, said rails having at least one rail with an opening therein, a detector rail section positioned in said opening and spaced longitudinally from the remainder of the rail, said detector rail section having a cross sectional shape identical to said rails and being mounted on a four wheel dolly, an auxiliary track mounted panallel to said rails in a horizontal plane below said rails, said dolly being movable along said auxiliary track, said auxiliary track and said dolly so positioned that said detector rail section remains in longitudinal alignment with the remainder of said rail in all positions of said dolly, said dolly arranged on said auxiliary track to permit longitudinal movement of said detector rail section relative to the remainder of said rail, a flexible tension member fixed at one end to said dolly and having a free other end, a pulley rotatably secured in fixed relation to said auxiliary track, said tension member extending over said pulley and having a Weight secured to said free other end, said weight at ail times exerting a force upon said dolly through said tension member to urge said dolly in a direction opposite to the direction of movement or said railway cars over said rail, electrical switch means mounted in fixed relation relative to said auxiliary track, switch actuating means mounted on said dolly, said switch actuating means positioned to actuate said switch means upon longitudinal movement of said detector rail section in the direction of travel of said railway cars thereby indicating an increase in friction between said railway car wheels and said rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 265,366 Atkinson Oct. 3, 1882 424,833 Shut Apr. 1, 1890 681,906 Benzanson Sept. 3, 1901 886,691 Fowler May 5, 1908 1,945,754 Peeb-les Feb. 6, 1934 2,837,911 Haggadone June 10, 1958 

1. A DEVICE FOR DETECTING AN INCREASE IN FRICTION BETWEEN THE WHEELS OF A RAILWAY CAR AND THE RAIL WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION, RAILS ALONG WHICH SAID RAILWAY CAR TRAVELS IN A PREDETERMINED DIRECTION, SAID RAILS HAVING AT LEAST ON RAIL WITH AN OPENING THEREIN, A DETECTOR RAIL SECTION POSITIONED IN SAID OPENING AND SPACED LONGITUDINALLY FROM THE REMAINDER OF THE RAIL, SAID DETECTOR SECTION HAVING A CROSS SECTIONAL SHAPE IDENTICAL TO SAID RAILS AND BEING MOUNTED ON A FOUR WHEEL DOLLY, AN AUXILIARY TRACK MOUNTED PARALLEL TO SAID RAILS IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE BELOW SAID RAILS, SAID DOLLY BEING MOVABLE ALONG SAID AUXILIARY TRACK, SAID AUXILIARY TRACK AND SAID DOLLY SO POSITIONED THAT SAID DETECTOR SECTION REMAINS IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE REMAINDER OF SAID RAIL IN ALL POSITIONS OF SAID DOLLY, SAID DOLLY ARRANGED ON SAID AUXILIARY TRACK TO PERMIT LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID DETECTOR SECTION RELATIVE TO THE REMAINDER OF SAID RAIL, BIASING MEANS AT ALL TIMES URGING SAID DOLLY IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID RAILWAY CARS, ELECTRICAL SWITCH MEANS MOUNTED IN FIXED RELATION RELATIVE TO SAID AUXILIARY TRACK, SWITCH ACTUATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID DOLLY, SAID SWITCH ACTUATING MEANS POSITIONED TO ACTUATE SAID SWITCH MEANS UPON LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID DECTOR SECTION IN THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF SAID RAILWAY CARS THEREBY INDICATING AN INCREASE IN FRICTION BETWEEN SAID RAILWAY CAR WHEELS AND SAID RAIL. 